


Undertale: The Perils of Being Literally Not Human

by ArgentDandelion



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Analysis, Bigotry & Prejudice, Gen, Human/Monster Society, Meta, Non-Graphic Violence, Nonfiction, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Prejudice Against Monsters (Undertale), Undertale Monsters on the Surface, fanfic fodder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:06:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21841891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArgentDandelion/pseuds/ArgentDandelion
Summary: A post on the problems monsters would face specifically because they are literally not human. Involves prejudiced humans, human' ease in killing monsters, and restrictive laws on monsters due to human paranoia.
Kudos: 13





	Undertale: The Perils of Being Literally Not Human

Image by [Zarla-s](https://zarla-s.tumblr.com/)

###  **Terminology**

Monsters are obviously not human. Not only do they look non-human, but they also have very different bodies and abilities, and see no problem in calling themselves “monsters”. Inconveniently, the very term “monster” connotes something scary that ought to be killed or avoided. (Assuming Mt. Ebott is in the United States, one wonders if humans would suggest the word “Teratoan-American?’) Knowing this, people who haven’t personally encountered monsters before might be easily manipulated into hating them.

###  **Perpetual Armament**

Monsters can also produce large amounts of magical bullets at whim. While it’s possible for monsters to direct bullets away from targets (e.g., Toriel) or reduce the amount of damage they do (e.g., Asgore and Papyrus), the very fact monsters emit magical bullets as an everyday occurrence of self-expression would put them into conflict with humans. In most cases, humans can drastically reduce other humans’ killing power by disarming them, but there’s nothing to disarm for monsters. Thus, some humans might consider monsters perpetually armed, and therefore incorrigibly dangerous. Furthermore, while monsters can surely be taught to avoid emitting bullets around humans, or in areas with high human density, depending on when monsters gain the power to emit bullets, their children may be too young to properly control them. Thus, humans may feel threatened even around monster children. Even if, somehow, monsters found a technology that would safely block accidental bullet emission around humans, or every child had great self-control, humans may still feel uneasy. After all, some monsters (e.g., Asgore) are physically imposing, have sharp horns, claws, teeth, or other so-called natural weapons, or are outright made of fire (e.g., Grillby).

* * *

###  **Laws**

There’s also the long history of humans equating “human” with “person”. Humans often get over their natural reluctance to kill sentient beings or their own kind by describing other humans are beasts, vermin, or monsters. Since humans can dehumanize their own kind, they could easily dehumanize monsters. Worse, humans could characterize monsters as not only non-equivalent or inferior to humans, but inherently evil. Some monsters could be loosely described as “demons”, such as the bulky devil-like one in the MTT Resort. Moreover, the fact Asgore is an imposing, horned, goatlike, fire-associated being with a trident who rule(s)/ruled an underground realm parallels the Devil of Christianity, so more religious humans may consider all monsters suspect by association.

As humans often equate “person” with “human”, it might be hard for people to give monsters legal protections, since laws are made with the assumption only humans can be legal persons. Until some law is made to protect monsters, even if only a stopgap law (like legally classifying them as great apes, if the territory around Mt. Ebott has strong great ape welfare laws), humans could kill monsters freely. However, even a stopgap law that prevents torture and experimentation would have many loopholes. If monsters were not considered legally equivalent to humans, humans could reject monsters from service or jobs, and monsters would have no legal recourse. Even if protected from experimentation and torture, humans could still exploit monsters. (e.g., underpaying them in bad jobs) That humans can stomach being cruel to intelligent animals (e.g., dogs), but also compassionate towards other humans suggest humans might care less about unethical treatment towards monsters than towards humans.

* * *

###  **Ease of Murder**

As the movie _Independence Day_ shows, teaming up against a non-human entity can unite humanity behind a shared cause. The human brain is hardwired to love whatever one’s own tribe (or team) does, and hate whatever the other tribe (or team) does. A shrewd (and evil) politician could present monsters as a threat to humanity as a ploy to unite a large voting base and gain power, regardless of whether they actually believe monsters are a threat. Once riled, humans may love to hate monsters. Any conversations to the contrary can easily be shut down with, “They are obviously not humans.”

It would also be easier to kill monsters than humans, both in psychology and strength. More unhinged humans who would love to get away with murder might find it socially feasible, or at least less worthy of punishment, to kill monsters. Monsters which cannot talk, such as Moldsmal, would be psychologically easy to kill. Other monsters, such as Whimsuns, would have such low stats and poor defensive abilities it would be physically easy to kill them, even for someone with no LOVE.

Furthermore, monsters are vulnerable to hateful intent, to the point a child with a notebook can (under the right circumstances) beat a super-strong monster. Anyone who starts with a great hatred for monsters could kill even strong monsters with ease. Due to psychological hardening (of LOVE and in general), stat increases from gaining LOVE, and the stat-increase effects of using actual weapons to fight, any human that kills a monster would find it easier and easier to kill more. Eventually, such humans would find it easy to kill even monsters that look more similar to human beings. (e.g., Undyne or Mettaton)

Monster-murderers would also find it easy to get away with murder. Monsters don’t leave behind bodies when they die, only dust. It would be difficult to do forensics on a murder scene to figure out murder patterns. Worse, if monsters only leave a small pile of dust, then even if it’s as heavy as a big sack of flour it would be much easier to transport and hide than a human corpse. If monster dust is like normal dust and not, say, mud, any dust on a murderer’s body would be easy to clean with some water or hand sanitizer in a few seconds. Unlike blood, which is harder to explain, if monster dust is white or grey one could easily excuse it as road dust (when an area has white soil), flour, or white soot.

* * *

###  **Transport**

Larger monsters might have trouble fitting in standard cars, public buses, trains, subway vehicles, and especially cramped airplanes. ( _[see Undertale Character Heights Part 2](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/188221757757/undertale-character-heights-transport-travel-and)_ ) Large enough monsters would only be able to safely drive or even fit inside the biggest vans, customized vans, or in convertibles with the roof down. Even if they can fit, differing proportions mean they may be unable to use standard seatbelts, putting them at risk of both car crashes. (and unavoidable seatbelt ticketing) While extra-big monsters would probably face physical inconveniences and disapproving looks on crowded public transit, extra-small monsters (e.g., Whimsuns, Froggits and slimes) might be inadvertently stepped or sat on in crowded conditions.

Monsters that aren’t proportionately similar enough to a “standard” human may be banned from most airplanes entirely, both for logistical packing reasons and their own safety in case of a crash. Very big monsters (e.g., Onionsan) would find it impossible to use any but the most specialized transit, such as trains formerly used to transport circus elephants. Overall, many monsters would differ so much from human standards that they would be in danger when using cars, be functionally banned from travel, or forced to use specialty monster transit. If less human-proportioned monsters have no compatible cars and are functionally banned from public transit, it would be difficult to leave town quickly in case of anti-monster riots or, worse, roaming murderers.

\---

**Related Reading**  
[The Perks of Monsters Being Literally Not Human](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21298070/chapters/50715935)  
[Undertale Character Heights](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20773823/chapters/49364042)

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on my [Tumblr](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/). The author enjoys comments, so feel free to comment.


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